Safety Device for Cap of Liner of Thermos Bottle

ABSTRACT

A safety device of a cap sealing a liner of a thermos bottle comprises a rod of a pushing member passing through a through hole of a lock assembly that is for being screws with the opening of the liner wherein after the rod is pierced into an accommodating space of the lock assembly and combined with components therein, the rod juts out a fastening member deposited in the depression of the cap to be combined with a moving member, whereby when there is a pressurized steam in the liner, the steam lifts the pushing member so that the rod pushes upward to disengage the moving member from a recess of the fastening member and in turn sit the moving member in the corresponding gaps of the upper decorating plate so that this point, even if the cap is rotated, the cap does not drive the lock assembly to rotate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a safety device of a cap sealing a liner of a thermos bottle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a safety device for preventing a cap sealing a liner of a thermos bottle from being incautiously opened when a high-temperature steam is stored in the thermos bottle so as to prevent scald-accidents.

2. Description of Related Art

In a container storing a high-temperature steam therein, for protecting a user from scald-accidents that may happen when the user incautiously opens the container with his/her hands, a safety device is typically equipped at an opening of the container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,409, which is titled as “Steam Cleaner with Safety Device” and proposed by the same inventor as of the present invention, provides a safety device mounted on a cap of a steam cleaner. Therein, a lock assembly 5 is settled at a bottom of a rotary cap 31. A hollow cylinder 53 passing through a cylindrical base 51 has a top annular flange 531 extending upward. Two opposite slots 532 are such formed at the annular flange 531 that two opposite tabs 522 provided on an edge of a hole 521 of a hollow driving disk 52 abutting upon the cylindrical base 51 can stably engage therewith. Furthermore, an actuation assembly 4 downward assembled to the lock assembly 5 has a cylindrical seat 41 for being screwed with a shroud 42. Between the cylindrical seat 41 and the shroud 42, a flexible actuating member 44 is high-heat resistant and has a central through hole for allowing a top push rod 451 of a pushing member 45 to pass therethrough and penetrate a hole 421 formed at the shroud 42 so that an annular groove 453 provided on a base 452 of the pushing member 45 can be matingly engaged with a ridge 442 formed downward from the actuating member 44.

The assembled cap assembly 3 is fastened to a top of a steam chamber 2 in a screw means. When a high-heat steam 6 is generated in the steam chamber 2, the steam 6 surges upward through holes of the hollow cylinder 53 and a valve 54 in the lock assembly 5 so that the steam 6 lifts the pushing member 45 settled between the cylindrical seat 41 and the shroud 42 until the actuating member 44 tightly compresses against the shroud 42. Meanwhile, the push rod 451 raised from the pushing member 45 also lifts a cylindrical clutch 32 so that a plurality of legs 321 extending downward from the cylindrical clutch 32 are disengaged from the driving disk 52 of the lock assembly 5, thereby resulting in disengagement between the cap 31 and the lock assembly 5. At this point, even if a user rotates the cap 31 by hands, the cap 31 does not drive the lock assembly 5 to rotate and therefore the lock assembly 5 in the cap assembly 3 is free from being opened. Consequently, the cap 3 is prevented from being incautiously opened so that the user is protected from being scalded by the high-heat steam 6 in the steam chamber 2.

When the steam 6 inside the steam chamber 2 is almost released out, since the steam pressure is dissipated, a first spring 33 between the cap 31 and the cylindrical clutch 32 pushes the actuation assembly 4 downward in strength of a bounce thereof, and in turn engages the legs 321 at the bottom of the cylindrical clutch 32 with the driving disk 52 of the lock assembly 5 again, thereby resulting in engagement between the cap 31 and the lock assembly 5 so that when a user rotates the cap 31 by hands, the cap assembly 3 is opened.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore applies the principle of the above-mentioned safety device that prevents a cap of a container containing a high-temperature steam from being incautiously opened so as to provide against scald-accidents to a cap sealing a liner of a thermos bottle as a safety device in order to fully prevent the cap sealing the liner of the thermos from being opened incautiously due to carelessness and therefore prevent scald-accidents.

A first objective of the present invention is to provide a safety device which is characterized in a rod of a pushing member passing through a through hole formed at a center of a lock assembly that is for being screws with the opening of the liner; the rod being retained in an accommodating space of the lock assembly with a first blocker and a second blocker, which are further positioned with respect to the rod by a c-shaped ring; the lock assembly being covered by the cap; a fastening member being settled in a depression of the cap; a spring being deposited between the fastening member and the accommodating space of the lock assembly; a recess formed at an upper end of the fastening member fittingly receiving a moving member having a plurality of protrusions formed at a periphery thereof; a hole formed at a center of the fastening member allowing the rod to be pierced therethrough so that the rod can be combined with the moving member positioned thereon; and a plurality of the cavities at an upper periphery of the cap being engaged with a plurality of hooks extended downward from an upper decorating plate, whereby when there is a pressurized steam in the liner assembled with the safety device, the steam lifts the pushing member having the rod so that the rod pushes upward to lift the moving member so as to disengage the moving member from the recess of the fastening member and in turn sit the moving member in the corresponding gaps of the upper decorating plate and at this point, even if the cap is rotated, the cap does not drive the lock assembly to rotate, thereby scalded-accidents caused by a user's incautiously opening the cap sealing the liner being efficiently prevented.

A second objective of the present invention is to provide the aforementioned safety device wherein the fastening member settled in the depression is combined with the lock assembly as a whole by a plurality of screws.

A third objective of the present invention is to provide the aforementioned safety device wherein a plurality of spacers are extended downward from the upper decorating plate that is engaged with the cavities at the upper periphery of the cap so that the plural spacers define gaps for receiving the moving member when the moving member is lifted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an assembly drawing of a liner of a thermos bottle and a cap thereof,

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing the cap is disassembled from the liner of the thermos bottle;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a safety device of a cap according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 provides a top view and a lateral view of the safety device of the cap according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 50-50 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an applied view showing the safety device of the cap lifted by a steam pressure according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a safety device of a cap covered on a liner of a thermos bottle according to the present invention is a safety device 8 assembled to a cap 5 for being combined with a thermos bottle at an opening 101 of a liner 10 thereof.

The safety device 8 of the cap 5, as shown in FIG. 3, comprises a lock assembly 1, a pushing member 2, a first blocker 31, a second blocker 32, a spring 4, the cap 5, a fastening member 6 and a moving member 7.

The lock assembly 1 has an accommodating space 11 formed at a center thereof for allowing the first and second blockers 31, 32 to be settled therein (as shown in FIG. 5). A through hole 12 is formed in the lock assembly 1 below the accommodating space 11. A limiting member 13 having a plurality of through holes 131 can be received in the lock assembly 1 and around the accommodating space 11. An annular plane 14 is formed at a top periphery of the lock assembly 1 and a push segment 15 having a plurality of cavities 151 is formed at a center of the annular plane 14.

The pushing member 2 is a component combined with one end of a rod 21 and can be lifted by a steam (as shown in FIG. 5). The pushing member 2 comprises a contacting portion 22 serving to engage with a lower end of the rod 21, and a covering portion 23 serving to retain the rod 21. Therein, the contacting portion 22 and the covering portion 23 are preferably made of a high-heat resistant and slightly flexible material. The covering portion 23 has a tube 231. When the tube 231 is put around the rod 21, a protruding annular edge 232 below the tube 231 can be fittingly combined with a groove 221 of the contacting portion 22 as a whole.

The first blocker 31 has a protrusion 311 extended downward therefrom and a groove 312 formed at an upper end thereof. The second blocker 32 also has a protrusion 321 extended downward therefrom and another protrusion 322 for positioning the spring 4. Through holes 313, 323 are formed at centers of the first and second blockers 31, 32, respectively, so as to allow the rod 21 pass therethrough (as shown in FIG. 5). In addition, the first and second blockers 31, 32 closely abut against each other.

The cap 5 has a depression 51 formed at a center thereof for allowing the fastening member 6 to be settled therein. A through hole 52 is formed in the depression 51 for receiving the push segment 15 of the lock assembly 1. A plurality of cavities 53 are formed at an upper periphery of the cap 5 so that a plurality of hooks 541 extended downward from a lower periphery of an upper decorating plate 54 can engage therewith. Furthermore, a plurality of spacers 542 are also extended downward from the upper decorating plate 54 to define gaps 543 with intervals therebetween.

The fastening member 6 has a recess 61 formed at an upper end thereof and shaped according to a peripheral contour of the moving member 7. A hole 62 is formed at a center of the recess 61 for allowing the rod 21 passing therethrough. An annular groove 63 is formed at a bottom of the fastening member 6 for receiving the push segment 15 of the lock assembly 1 and an end of the spring 4 (as shown in FIG. 5). Besides, a plurality of threaded holes 64 are provided at an upper surface of the fastening member 6.

The moving member 7 has a plurality of protrusions 71 formed at a periphery thereof.

To assemble the lock assembly 1, the pushing member 2, the first blocker and the second blocker 31, 32, the spring 4, the cap 5, the fastening member 6 and the moving member 7, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the rod 21 of the pushing member 2 is pierced through the through hole 12 of the lock assembly 1 that can be screwed with the opening of the liner. The rod 21 is therefore retained in the accommodating space 11 of the lock assembly 1 with the first the second blockers 31, 32, which are further positioned with respect to the rod 21 by a c-shaped ring 33. The annular plane 14 at the top periphery of the lock assembly 1 is covered by the cap 5. Then the fastening member 6 is settled in the depression 51 of the cap 5. The spring 4 is deposited between the fastening member 6 and the accommodating space 11 of the lock assembly 1. Thus, the fastening member 6 can be positioned on the push segment 15 of the lock assembly 1 by a plurality of screws 65. The recess 61 formed at the upper end of the fastening member 6 fittingly receives the moving member 7 having the plural protrusions 71 formed at the periphery thereof. The hole 62 formed at the center of the fastening member 6 allows the rod 21 to be pierced therethrough so that the rod 21 can be combined with the moving member 7 positioned thereon. The cavities 53 at the upper periphery of the cap 5 are designed to be engaged with the plural hooks 541 extended downward from the upper decorating plate 54. After the aforementioned components are such assembled as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the safety device 8 is accomplished.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, when there is a pressurized steam 9 in the liner 10 assembled with the safety device 8, the steam 9 lifts the pushing member 2 having the rod 21. As a result, the rod 21 pushes upward to lift the moving member 7 so that the moving member 7 is disengaged from the recess 61 of the fastening member 6 and in turn sit in the corresponding gaps 543 of the upper decorating plate 54. At this point, even if a user rotates the cap 5 by hands, the cap 5 does not drive the lock assembly 1 to rotate, thereby scalded-accidents caused by the user's incautiously opening the cap 5 sealing the liner 10 being efficiently prevented.

On the other hand, when there is no steam in the liner 10, as shown in FIG. 5, the moving member 7 combined at the end of the rod 21 gravitatively falls from the gaps 543 of the upper decorating plate 54 and gets engaged with the recess 61 of the fastening member 6 again. At this point, a user can open the cap 5 on the liner 10 by rotating it, as shown in FIG. 2. 

1. A safety device of a cap sealing a liner of a thermos bottle, wherein the safety device is assembled in the cap that is combined with an opening of the liner, and the safety device is characterized in: a rod of a pushing member passing through a through hole formed at a center of a lock assembly that is for being screwed with the opening of the liner; the rod being retained in an accommodating space of the lock assembly with a first blocker and a second blocker, which are further positioned with respect to the rod by a c-shaped ring; the lock assembly being covered by the cap; a fastening member being settled in a depression of the cap; a spring being deposited between the fastening member and the accommodating space of the lock assembly; a recess formed at an upper end of the fastening member fittingly receiving a moving member having a plurality of protrusions formed at a periphery thereof; a hole formed at a center of the fastening member allowing the rod to be pierced therethrough so that the rod can be combined with the moving member positioned thereon; and a plurality of cavities at an upper periphery of the cap being engaged with a plurality of hooks extended downward from an upper decorating plate, whereby when there is a pressurized steam in the liner assembled with the safety device, the steam lifts the pushing member having the rod so that the rod pushes upward to lift the moving member so as to disengage the moving member from the recess and in turn sit the moving member in corresponding gaps of the upper decorating plate and at this point, even if the cap is rotated, the cap does not drive the lock assembly to rotate, thereby scaled-accidents caused by a user's incautiously opening the cap sealing the liner being efficiently prevented.
 2. The safety device of claim 1, wherein the fastening member settled in the depression at the center of the cover is combined with the lock assembly as a whole by a plurality of screws.
 3. The safety device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of spacers are extended downward from the upper decorating plate that is engaged with the cavities at the upper periphery of the cap so that the plural spacers define gaps for receiving the moving member when the moving member is lifted.
 4. The safety device of claim 1, wherein the pushing member combined with the rod that passes through the through of the lock assembly comprises a contacting portion for being pushed by the steam and a covering portion for retaining the rod.
 5. The safety device of claim 4, wherein the contacting portion and the covering portion of the pushing member combined at the end of the rod are made of a high-heat resistant and slightly flexible material. 